Holder for paper bags and the like



July 11, 1939. R. F. BATEMAN HOLDER FOR PAPER BAGS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 19, 1938 Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED sT/rrss PATENT OFFICE' HOLDER. FOR PAPER BAGS AND THE. LIKE Raymond Frank Bateman, SpiritRiver, Alberta, Canada Claims.

This invention is a rack for holding packages of paper bags of various sizes compactly and neatly, in a position so that a clerk may very quickly withdraw a single bag of proper size, leav- 5. ing all the other bags in a particular package undisturbed.

The rack of this invention is provided with a series of apertures gradedin size, each aperture being adapted to receive a package of paper bags of a particular size. Spring means is provided for pressing and holding each package of paper bags in its aperture.

In the preferred form-of the invention, the rack comprises a panel provided. with instruck flanges of various lengths, which extend backwardly, thereby forming bag receiving apertures of varying size, these flanges extending diagonally up- Wardly or downwardly, but preferably downwardly. The spring means used preferably com- 20 prises spring members of flat resilient material,

such as sheet metal, which are secured to said backwardly struck flanges and extend forwardly in a position to engage against the bottom of a package of paper bags, the tops of which pass through the next adjoining aperture.

In order to hold compactly the top portions of the bags, which extend through the panel, so that they will not accumulate dust, the tops of the bags are bent downwardly and are pressed toward the back of the panel member, preferably by a longitudinally extending spring.

The main features of the invention having been thus outlined, further advantages of structure and operation will appear in the following more detailed description of the present preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in the accompanying drawing.

In this drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved 40 rack of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section of the same; and

Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view on an enlarged scale.

Referring now to this drawing, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, the rack comprises a panel member 2 and a panel member 4, both preferably made of sheet metal and having longitudinally extending edge flanges 6 and 8. The two panels are pivoted together at their upper ends by pins Ill and are braced apart to form a stand by the arm 12.

The panel member 2 is provided with a plurality of instruck flanges l4, graded in length and width to provide a series of bag-receiving apertures I6 correspondingly graded in size. While these flanges M extend diagonally inwardly, they could be made to extend diagonally upwardly.

Spring means are provided for pressing against the bottom of a package of folded paper bags positioned in the several apertures IS. The preferred form of spring means is a spring l8 of flat, resilient material, preferably sheet metal, one end Zli of which is secured by rivets, spot welding or the like to the front faces of the several flanges I 4, the springs extending upwardly and. the ends curled inwardly to provide convex bearing surfaces 22. These springs form upwardly opening jaws for receiving a package of bags.

In operation, a package of bags is inserted through one of the apertures it, of appropriate size, and clipped under the spring l8 immediately below it, the convex portion 24 of the spring pressing the bottom of the package against the front of the panel.

In loading a package of bags in a particular aperture, the tops of the bags are put through an aperture is .and guided and bent downwardly by the downwardly extending flanges I4, into overlap-ping relation,'as shown in Figure 2.

Packages of paper bags 23 are customarily folded so that each bag has an individual edge 24 which may be grasped by the clerk and so a single bag may be very readily withdrawn without disturbing the other bags,

The top portions 25 of the bags are further held in compact overlapping relationship by means of a longitudinally extending spring member 26, preferably in the form of a long, light helical spring extending transversely across the several apertures I6 and secured by upper and lower pins 28 and 30.

While, as mentioned above, the flanges I4 could extend upwardly, in reverse arrangement to that shown, the preferred construction is with the flanges extending downwardly, because in that position the tops of the bags extend downwardly so that even if the bags are in the rack a long time, they will not accumulate dust on the inside, because the mouths of the bags open downwardly.

The flanges M, in addition to their function of supporting the springs l8, also serve to guide the tops of the bags. downwardly as a package of bags is being loaded into the particular aperture.

The single operation of providing the instruck flanges l4 also provides bag holding apertures, supports for the springs I 8 and guiding means for guiding the tops of the bags downwardly.

The panel 4 may be provided with bag holding means like the panel 2 or could be provided with brackets or shelves 32 for holding merchandise in display.

The entire rack may be readily folded into compact form for shipment by disconnecting the bracing bar l2.

While I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention in considerable detail, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise details, but may be carried out in other ways, as falling within the scope of the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispensing rack for paper bags and the like, comprising in combination a panel member provided with a plurality of'backwardly extending instruck flanges for forming apertures in the panel, of a size to receive a package of folded paper bags, and forwardly extending spring members secured to said flanges for pressing the bottoms of packages of paper bags against the panel, with the top portions of the bags passing through that aperture in the panel toward which said spring members respectively extend.

2. A dispensing rack for paper bags and the like, comprising in combination a panel member provided with a plurality of backwardly extending instruck flanges for forming apertures in the panel, of a size to receive a package of folded paper bags, and forwardly extending spring members made of resilient flat sheet material, secured to the front faces of said instruck flanges, and extending forwardly for engagement against the bottoms of packages of paper bags, the upper portions of the bags passing through that aperture in the panel above the respective spring members. i

3. A dispensing rack for paper bags and the like, comprising in combination a panel member provided with a plurality of backwardly extending instruck flanges for forming apertures in the panel, of a size to receive a package of folded paper bags, and forwardly. extending spring members made of resilient flat sheet material, secured to the front faces of said instruck flanges, and extending forwardly and provided with inwardly curled tips to give a convex bearing surface for engagement against the bottoms of packages of paper bags, the upper portions of the bags passing through that aperture in the panel above the respective spring members.

4. A dispensing rack for paper bags and the like, comprising in combination a panel member provided with a plurality of backwardly extending instruck flanges for forming apertures in the panel, of a size to receive a package of folded paper bags, forwardly extending spring members secured to said flanges for pressing the bottoms of packages of paper bags against the panel, with the top portions of the bags passing through that aperture in the panel toward which said spring members respectively extend, and spring means on the back of said panel member and extending longitudinally thereof, across said apertures, for pressing the top portions of the several packages of paper bags toWardthe back of the panel member.

5. A dispensing rack for paper bags and the like, comprising in combination a panel member provided with a plurality of backwardly extending instruck flanges for forming apertures in the panel, of a size to receive a package of folded paper bags, forwardly extending spring members secured to said flanges for pressing the bottoms of packages of paper bags against the panel, with the top portions of the bags passing through that aperture in the panel above the respective spring members, and a longitudinally extending helical spring extending longitudinally of the panel on the back thereof, for pressing the top portions of the several packages of paper bags toward the back of the panel member.

RAYMOND FRANK BATEMAN. I 

